Infographic Explores Teen Cruelty On Social Networks

Today more than three-quarters of teens ages 12 to 17 are social media users. They are doing everything from posting status updates to playing games, posting on friends’ walls, tagging people, chatting and more. But in addition to these tasks they are also dealing with unkindness and cruelty—a task that many adult social media users may find surprising.

Today more than three-quarters of teens ages 12 to 17 are social media users. They are doing everything from posting status updates to playing games, posting on friends’ walls, tagging people, chatting and more. But in addition to these tasks they are also dealing with unkindness and cruelty—a task that many adult social media users may find surprising. According to a new infographic from Zone Alarm, based on research by Pew Research Center, teens are dealing with unkind users on social media sites much more than adults. The infographic, ‘Teens’ Cruel World of Social Networking,’ reports that 20 percent of 12 to 17 year olds believe that people are mostly unkind on social networks. This belief is shared by only 5 percent of social networkers 18 and over.

In addition to revealing which tasks teens perform most on the social web, the infographic also explores how peers treat one another, the frequency of online cruelty and meanness, security issues and bad habits that should be broken and more. Does it surprise you that teen girls are among the cruelest social media users? Check out the full infographic and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Megan O’Neill is the resident web video enthusiast here at Social Times. Megan covers everything from the latest viral videos to online video news and tips, and has a passion for bizarre, original and revolutionary content and ideas.